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Patriotic Chicken Plays ‘America the Beautiful’ on Keyboard and We’re in Awe
Do you think you’re patriotic enough? Well, you don’t have anything on this guy, or should we say hen?
Meet Jokgu (pronounced joe-ku), the “patriotic chicken” who has mastered playing beloved patriotic classic, “America the Beautiful.” Watch:
The video was shared to YouTube page Two Creative Chicks, which also has a Facebook page boasting over 25,000 fans and is a place for all “chicken enrichment ideas,” according to the page’s “About” section. Since being shared on January 31, the video has racked up over 1.2 million views as of press time.
Eagle-eyed viewers will notice Jokgu plays the song by following red lights illuminated beneath the keys, which owner Shannon Myers told Huffington Post was only about a two-week process through clicker training, a form of positive reinforcement to elicit a behavior.
“You click when the behavior is done, then reward,” Myers said. “Because you can click faster than give a reward, they immediately associate the click with the wanted behavior which then leads to reward.”
Why Myers chose “America the Beautiful” goes beyond the fact that it’s a simple song to play, and touches upon the current political climate in the United States.
“My chicken coop partner’s family, of Asian heritage, immigrated here,” Myers told Huff Post. “We wanted Jokgu (which is Korean for a type of football/soccer game) to play something that I thought at the heart is so true ― that America is Beautiful. What better ambassador than a Chinese breed chicken with a Korean name playing an American anthem?”
A beautiful sentiment for a beautiful country.
Based on the reception, many aren’t too worried about how Jokgu learned to play the song, but amazed by her patriotic spirit…and if she’ll be playing at the Super Bowl next year.
(Editor’s Note: When reached for comment from YDD, Myers directed us to the Huff Post article without further comment.)